Verdict on petition against Rajiv killers in a week: CJI

The Supreme Court’s verdict on the petition by the Centre challenging Tamil Nadu government’s decision to release all seven life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case would be pronounced within a week, Chief Justice of India P. Sathasivam indicated here on Friday.

The petition was pending before the court and arguments had been completed. Since he was demitting office as CJI on April 25, the verdict would be given before that, he told reporters here, to a specific question about the petition. He was here to attend a judges’ conference.

On February 20, a Bench headed by the CJI stayed the State government’s order, citing procedural lapses on the part of the State.

The Centre had filed a petition challenging the State’s authority in ordering the release of all seven convicts, a day after the Supreme Court rejected its appeal against the commutation of death sentence to three convicts in the case — Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan.